Andrew J. Dumont (c. 1845 - June 30, 1885) was a state legislator who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives and Louisiana State Senate during the Reconstruction era.[1]

Andrew Dumont
Louisiana House of Representatives
In office
1872–1874
Louisiana State Senate
In office
1874–1878
Personal details
Bornc. 1845
DiedJune 30, 1885(1885-06-30) (aged 39–40)
Political partyRepublican

Biography

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Dumont was born a free man in 1845 in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, to mixed parents and a French father.[2][1] He emigrated to Mexico where he obtained his education and served under Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico as an officer in the army.[1] After the surrender of Maximilian he started his own distillery but became dissatisfied with his life in Mexico.[2]

He returned from Mexico to Louisiana in 1866 and started as a distiller in New Orleans,[1] and became involved with politics almost immediately.[2]

During the reconstruction era he held a number of offices from police sergeant, a U.S marshal deputy, customs officer and recorder of Algiers.[1]

In 1872 Dumont was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives and served until 1874 when he was elected to the Louisiana State Senate and served from 1874 until 1878.[1] During his senatorial service he was elected to be the chairman of the Republican state central executive committee from 1874 and served in that position until his death.[1][2] He was a colonel in the state militia and fought against the White League in the New Orleans 1874 insurrection.[1]

He was appointed to the post of Naval Officer for New Orleans in July 1880, replacing James Lewis.[3] His ability with several foreign languages made him popular in the job as he could talk to many sailors in their native languages.[2]

The A. J. Dumont Base Ball Club was formed in the 1880s in Algiers and named after Dumont who was their patron.[4]

In 1881 he was selected along with eleven others to go to Washington to present an address outlining the views of the Louisiana Republicans to President James A. Garfield.[5]

A series of family and financial issues led him to commit suicide by shooting himself with a revolver at his home in Algiers, New Orleans on June 30, 1885.[6][1] He was survived by his wife and two children.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Foner, Eric (1 August 1996). Freedom's Lawmakers: A Directory of Black Officeholders During Reconstruction. LSU Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-8071-2082-8. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Suicide of A. J. Dumont". The Donaldsonville Chief. 11 July 1885. p. 1. Retrieved 15 October 2022. 
  3. ^ "Andrew J. Dumont - Naval Officer". The Times-Picayune. 10 July 1880. p. 1. Retrieved 15 October 2022. 
  4. ^ III, James E. Brunson (22 March 2019). Black Baseball, 1858-1900: A Comprehensive Record of the Teams, Players, Managers, Owners and Umpires. McFarland. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-4766-1658-2. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Republican Committee of 12 to go to Washington". The Weekly Louisianian. 19 March 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 15 October 2022. 
  6. ^ a b "Andrew J. Dumont suicide". The St. Charles Herald. 4 July 1885. p. 2. Retrieved 15 October 2022.